


Instant

by narcolepcee



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Canon Universe, M/M, One Word Prompts, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-31 16:57:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10903596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcolepcee/pseuds/narcolepcee
Summary: A collection of single-sentence stories about England and America and the time they've spent together, as well as the time they haven't.(Usually) one word prompts. One sentence in response to each prompt. Updates in batches of 25; open to requests for prompts!





	1. seconds

**Author's Note:**

> over the years since i've fallen out of writing fic, i have often found myself sitting down to try again, only to end with an empty word processor and an even emptier heart for my failure to perform! i was thinking i needed to start with something very easy and basic, but not boring. and then i remembered i once did a series of one sentence challenges, which seemed a perfect fit for my needs! so i did this.
> 
> these are pretty much warm-ups, and occur in no particular order. all take place in the canon universe of hetalia (as of writing this note, anyway). some are platonic, some are romantic, some are neither. some are more sexual, but there's nothing graphic (as of yet). if any of this changes, i will be sure to include it in the notes for that update, as well as any relevant content warnings. :) and if you have a one- or two-word prompt you'd like to see, leave it in a comment! i'll do my best to include it in the next batch.
> 
> prompts in the first batch came from the list [here](http://towriteprompts.tumblr.com/onewordprompts).

**1\. bullet**  
It was easy to aim the musket, but impossible to fire.

 **2\. lesson**  
America's hand is strong despite its tiny size, but he still lets England pull it along until they've written out the entire alphabet on the page.

 **3\. resurface**  
Even as their fingers intertwine, England looks away from him with a clear ache in his eyes: "Keep your glasses on this time."

 **4\. bunting**  
"They call that a 'sacrifice bunt,'" America explains, and though England cares little for baseball, he does know a thing or two about having to give yourself up so your allies can succeed.

 **5\. immortality**  
They stand together in silence at the row of headstones, knowing that this is far from the last time.

**6\. college**  
_"University,"_ England corrects. 

**7\. sauna**  
Sharing a hot spring with Japan's creatures of legend was a fine time, but sitting in a sauna with America sounded like a herculean challenge. 

**8\. carnivore**  
England can only watch in disgust as America polishes off his tenth hamburger of the meal. 

**9\. replacement**  
As Canada forces the door to his home closed and shouts at him about England's well-being, America feels distinctly replaced. 

**10\. revealing**  
If only England would wear that little waiter outfit when he wasn't drunk off his ass. 

**11\. paranoia**  
It's difficult to be kind to America when England is never sure whether America will accept it or simply laugh in his face. 

**12\. surprise**  
To this day, one of the best gifts America has gotten is the surprise of seeing England at his bicentennial birthday celebration. 

**13\. overindulge**  
"Come on, old man," America sighs as he hauls England up off the floor of the bar. 

**14\. book**  
"Pay attention to me for once," America implores as he plucks the open book from England's hands. 

**15\. sustainability**  
America can't think of much that's more boring than presentations on economic sustainability, but they're vastly improved by the perfect cut of England's suit and the way his ass looks in those slacks. 

**16\. morning**  
It's a rare treat to see the peaceful expression on England's sleeping face in the morning, particularly because it means England has chosen to sleep in with him rather than attend to more practical things. 

**17\. ring**  
They can't ever truly be married, but it's nice to wear the rings anyway. 

**18\. wound**  
"It'll heal," insists America, but it's still hard to look at his bloodied and bullet-riddled body. 

**19\. girlfriend**  
America pretends not to notice how totally jealous England is of his new secretary. 

**20\. camp**  
When the weight of the war edges beneath his heroic mask and robs him of his rest, he spends his time listening for movement in the cot next to his, only daring to look over when he's sure England is really asleep. 

**21\. tyranny**  
Maybe they were England's people once, but they're America's now, and he'll do whatever it takes to do what's right by them. 

**22\. idiot**  
Not for the first time, America asks why England has so many funny slang terms for "idiot," and not for the first time, England says it's because he needs every single one of them when he's dealing with America. 

**23\. graveyard shift**  
It's fine when they stay up until three in the morning watching horror movies, but whenever England spends that time hunched over his desk with cooling tea and a mountain of paperwork still to be done, America feels the strangest urge to tell him to get some sleep. 

**24\. perfection**  
There's no such thing as perfection, but America's arse comes pretty damn close. 

**25\. pin up**  
England has to install extra security measures on his phone to protect some of the photos America sends him. 


	2. minutes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's another batch, continuing from the list [here](http://towriteprompts.tumblr.com/onewordprompts)! thank you to everyone who left kudos or commented, it's nice to have a warm welcome back to writing. :)

**1\. offensive**  
England nearly declares war with America on the spot the first time America serves him iced tea.

**2\. winter**  
America is no great fan of the cold, but it's an excellent excuse to curl up together with England in front of a crackling fire.

**3\. uncle**  
"Stop, stop!" America cries as he submits to the underhanded evil of England's tickling fingers; it's a better option than flailing and inadvertently breaking England's ribs.

**4\. stalked**  
"I just wanted to see what you were doing in your basement!"

**5\. cavity**  
As America discards the wrapper for his gigantic chocolate bar, England remarks dryly, "You're very fortunate that you can't get cavities."

**6\. engaged**  
While he's truly very happy for them, England's gaze is a bit greener than usual as he oversees the Royal Wedding.

**7\. saint**  
"What's with this costume, anyway?" America asks, laughing as England—or the "Britannia Angel"—smacks his hand away from the feathery wings on his back.

**8\. sinner**  
It will be a cold day in hell before America stops teasing England over the king that changed the country's religion so he could get a divorce.

**9\. vacation**  
"You _know_ I don't have time for a vacation," England implores with an undertone of regret.

**10\. melodramatic**  
America always whines when England smacks his arm or pinches his cheeks, as if he hasn't shrugged off pain that would leave a human unconscious.

**11\. mainstream**  
It's almost terrifying how enamoured America is with England at the height of the British Invasion.

**12\. hair**  
"I'm telling you, it's not going to stay down," America insists even as England piles more hair gel onto his persistent cowlick.

**13\. exchange**  
It's a shame that England completely rejects the chocolate bar, because America really wanted to see what would happen if he asked for a kiss as payment.

**14\. lunch**  
England knows he's out of his mind when checking his texts during his lunch break becomes one of the highlights of his day.

**15\. applause**  
England keeps it to himself when he discovers he can hear America through the walls, singing pop songs in the shower.

**16\. pattern**  
It's fascinating to watch England draft pattern pieces and slowly bring a garment to life out of a swath of flat fabric.

**17\. flag**  
"Uh, it's, y'know," America stutters in explanation of the Saint George's Cross that England finds in his storage room, "it used to be my flag too, okay?"

**18\. snow**  
Hitting England in the face with a snowball might be hilarious in the moment, but England swears he will make America regret it.

**19\. genius**  
"We are not going to fight global warming with an army of penguins, you sodding moron."

**20\. distinguishing**  
England's insecurity over his eyebrows isn't exactly a well-kept secret, but no one will ever know that America thinks they add to the whole "distinguished gentleman" image.

**21\. hate**  
As he kneels in the mud, the rain deafening in his ears and his musket too heavy to hold, he knows he can't lay the hatred in his heart upon America; the only thing he can do is turn that hate inward.

**22\. dominant**  
"Babe, why do you have heels in the closet?"

**23\. letter**  
Those letters that England sent during the war gather dust in a well-hidden cranny of America's storage room, still unopened to this day.

**24\. green**  
Sometimes America wishes he were better with words so that he could he could give England the kind of poetry those green eyes deserve.

**25\. fussy**  
It's become routine now for England to straighten America's tie and smooth out his lapels before every meeting.


	3. hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> continued from the list [here](http://towriteprompts.tumblr.com/onewordprompts)!

**1\. cruelty**  
He looks England in the eyes and drops the burnt scones straight into the trash.

 **2\. clutch**  
There's little more heartbreaking than the tiny hand gripping England's waistcoat as he makes to board his ship back home from the colonies.

 **3\. point**  
"...I suppose," concedes England, as unwilling as ever to be too direct in saying that America may have a point.

 **4\. antagonistic**  
America can usually tell if England is upset—and, if so, _how_ upset—by how critical he is of America's presentations during meetings.

 **5\. discipline**  
Some of their recent bedroom-related activities have caused some mixed feelings when England insults America during meetings.

 **6\. VCR**  
"I wouldn't have taken you for the type to keep something like this," England once remarked, clearly unaware of America's vast collection of old films.

 **7\. sailing**  
When he was a colony, America dreamt of the day he'd be allowed to sail the seven seas with England; then duty got in the way, and there were planes by the time England was willing to take him anywhere again.

 **8\. sensitive**  
England can pretend all he wants, but after a few centuries, it's pretty obvious when something has actually hurt him.

 **9\. street**  
The streets of Europe wind in confusing knots around buildings both old and new, but America has been to London enough that he no longer needs to text England asking how to get around.

 **10\. coupon**  
"Extreme Couponing" truly is a depraved sort of art, England decides.

 **11\. hypocrisy**  
"I'm not gonna let you lecture me about manners when you knocked out two of France's teeth at the meeting yesterday!"

 **12\. majestic**  
While England fully plans to exact revenge on whoever is blackmailing them, he's very appreciative of the tiny apron and cute bear ears that the mystery extortionist has chosen for America.

 **13\. health**  
"You still owe me money!" America insists to a bedridden England, desperately hoping that in the absence of everything else, England will still hold on to his spite.

 **14\. tomorrow**  
As they stand amongst the celebrating masses in Trafalgar Square, not quite hand in hand, America looks to the sky and says, "Tomorrow will be different."

 **15\. motto**  
_Stiff upper lip,_ England reminds himself; America's government twiddles their thumbs as he's bombed to hell and back, but he's better than this, and he will survive.

 **16\. punk**  
Okay, so the punk get-up is a little ridiculous on stuffy old England, but it's also kind of hot and America isn't really sure how to deal with that.

 **17\. speech**  
For a guy who could probably recite Shakespeare's entire body of work, he can be awfully inarticulate when it comes to returning America's words of love.

 **18\. trust**  
With his jaw set and his cheeks burning red, England lets America slip the blindfold down over his eyes.

 **19\. acceptance**  
"Don't misunderstand," begins England as he snatches the bouquet from America's hands, "I'm only taking them because I know _you_ won't be able to keep them alive."

 **20\. forfeit**  
England drops the musket.

 **21\. space**  
Only America would come up with something so ridiculous as sending a man to the moon and then _actually do it._

 **22\. passport**  
The amount of United States stamps in England's passport is obscene, really.

 **23\. liar**  
Sometimes, England is one of the best liars America has ever known, so he has no idea why England tries to get away with things as trite as _it doesn't matter_ and _I don't care._

 **24\. death**  
While America may consider it frightening, England thinks it's a gift to be able to commune with the lost souls of his citizens and lead them to peace one last time.

 **25\. human**  
"Sometimes they don't know how lucky they are," muses England to America as they watch happy families gallivant around the park.


	4. days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back! sorry for the absence! continued from the list [here](http://towriteprompts.tumblr.com/onewordprompts).

**1\. wednesday**  
Most people get to be excited about getting through half of their work week, but a nation's work is never done, and weekends don't always mean that they get to spend time with their loved ones.

**2\. outcome**  
When England had first met that little boy with the golden hair and blue eyes, he had never imagined how important he would become.

**3\. westbound**  
England has heard enough innuendo about cowboys and the Wild West to last him a nation's lifetime.

**4\. mistake**  
America once made the mistake of telling England to "just pick one" while England was scrutinising the tea selection at the grocery store, and that's how he knows the difference between Lipton, Twinings, and PG Tips.

**5\. subjective**  
"It's _charming,"_ England insists of the creepy porcelain doll that haunts America's stay in the guest room.

**6\. emergency**  
England can handle being bombed with remarkable composure, but God help them all if he ever misses an episode of Doctor Who.

**7\. film**  
While America's appreciation for the genre is genuine, sometimes he has ulterior motives when watching horror movies with England; how else can he get away with asking England to share the bed with him?

**8\. love**  
The grand gestures are nice, but it's the little things—like finding a stash of America's favourite coffee in England's kitchen—that really tell America his love is returned.

**9\. loan**  
Talking about their shared economic ventures, particularly those pertaining to wars, is one of the easiest ways to start a fight.

**10\. city**  
It's no Washington DC, but the view from the top of the London Eye is nothing to sneeze at.

**11\. profanity**  
Sometimes America thinks he should be taking notes when England is insulting France.

**12\. birthday**  
Every year, America mails England a handwritten invitation, and every year he has to tell himself that maybe England will actually come this time.

**13\. wartime**  
England may not be the biggest, the richest, or the strongest, but there's no other nation that America would rather have with him on the front lines.

**14\. suspicious**  
England's instinctual reaction when America confesses to him isn't hope, but sinking dread, and he has to force the words out to America's earnestly nervous gaze: "This is just another joke, isn't it?"

**15\. irony**  
England's collection of Sex Pistols t-shirts is like an elaborate performance art piece, when you think about it.

**16\. kleptomaniac**  
England insists that he's not the one who steals America's sweets and shiny trinkets when he visits, but America is way too old to believe that "the fairies did it."

**17\. convict**  
It's really hard not to laugh when he has this stupid orange jumpsuit on, but at least England looks super hot in his fake bobby uniform.

**18\. waste**  
 _What a waste,_ England thinks when he hears of the Boston Tea Party, though he's not certain he's only thinking of the tea.

**19\. nuisance**  
The third time America's foot slides up England's leg under the meeting table, England kicks him.

**20\. cut**  
"You're probably gaining weight," remarks England, oblivious to the resulting twinge in America's chest.

**21\. eventually**  
America only told himself _eventually England will forgive me_ once, and it was only once because he's still waiting for that first "eventually."

**22\. loser**  
"Dude, why do you keep funding this thing?" America asks England as they watch the Eurovision votes pour in.

**23\. river**  
America knows which one is the Thames, but someday he'll memorise all the veins that map England's rivers.

**24\. sleep**  
The only benefit of England falling asleep first is that America sometimes gets to see what he looks like when he's actually at peace.

**25\. ashamed**  
While they've been together for some time now, sometimes England still has to avert his eyes when America looks at him like he's something beautiful.


	5. weeks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gosh i was silly to cling to the idea of updating this with any regularity! but here's another, despite my difficulties :) most of the words from the list [here](http://towriteprompts.tumblr.com/onewordprompts), but some have been selected using a random word generator.

**1\. wind**  
This was true bliss for America: sitting in the cockpit of his Warhawk, listening to the wind whipping around the plane and England calling him a moron over the radio.

**2\. happiest**  
What was it like, America wondered, for your lover—not your country—to be your greatest source of happiness?

**3\. likelihood**  
It's a good thing America is so good at math; he can pretty much instantaneously calculate the probability of England punching him for any given joke.

**4\. shaking**  
Sometimes, when America kisses reverent lines across England's skin, he can feel the slight tremor of a body that's unused to such adoration.

**5\. conspiracy**  
America wouldn't shut up for weeks the first time he heard accusations that the moon landing was faked.

**6\. pain**  
A nation can never love anything more than they love their own people; so what is England meant to do when the boy born of his people turns on him?

**7\. skeleton**  
The jut of England's collarbone becomes a much less pleasant sight as the war goes on and he gets thinner and thinner.

**8\. factory**  
 _Oops, sorry, I've surpassed you and become the best in the world,_ America boasts, and England wants to take a piece of America's new machinery and hit him with it.

**9\. heating**  
America likes to sleep curled up around England, which is all well and good on a normal day, but it's another story during the summer when he wakes up drenched in sweat and practically glued to America's perpetually warm body.

**10\. plea**  
England probably shouldn't enjoy making America beg as much as he does.

**11\. underground**  
When he came to visit England on totally unofficial business, a night in the London Underground with thousands of other people hiding from the bombers wasn't exactly what America had had in mind.

**12\. illegal**  
America can't count the number of times that England has teased him for "underage drinking" in his own country.

**13\. smallest**  
While England has held children before, holding America in his arms for the first time is somehow the most humbling of them all.

**14\. uninformed**  
"I don't know why you always freak out about my lunch, Japan's showing me a cool new diet, so it evens out!"

**15\. protocol**  
Sometimes it's hard not to imagine doing things to England that would probably _massively_ violate America's isolationist policies.

**16\. fear**  
America never mentions it when he wakes up in the middle of the night with England clinging to him, as if America will leave the moment he lets go.

**17\. leisure**  
There's likely something better than reading a book on the couch as America plays a handheld game with his head in England's lap, though this is a close second to whatever that thing may be.

**18\. homework**  
It's nothing that England assigned to him, but America knows that if he's to grow up to be as strong as England, he needs to study, even if that means he can't play with Canada as much as he used to.

**19\. asphyxiation**  
Sometimes, the weight of his love is so great that England feels like he's choking.

**20\. tangle**  
As the morning sun creeps through the curtains, America sighs and hikes his leg up more snugly between England's.

**21\. enchanted**  
It's really rather difficult to get a good photo with America on England's land without some mischievous creature turning up in the background of it.

**22\. muse**  
America's always been more of a doer than a writer, but sometimes when he looks at England, he gets the craziest urge to recite poetry.

**23\. commonwealth**  
Sometimes England gets busy with Commonwealth business and America totally doesn't get jealous, not one bit.

**24\. swordsman**  
While technology has largely marched on, it's still pretty hot to get to see England put his swordplay to use.

**25\. denounce**  
"I'm not your little brother anymore," insists America, only managing to ignore England's heartbroken expression by the grace of the anger burning in his chest.


End file.
